Did the Wright thing

• Emulated Odom
• Took to the sky
• Went up
• Took to the skies
• Managed banks?
• Played an ace?
• Winged it?
• Barnstormed

The Collaborative International Dictionary Word definitions in The Collaborative International Dictionary
Aviate \A"vi*ate\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Aviated ; p. pr. & vb. n. Aviating .] To fly, or navigate the air, in an a["e]roplane or heavier-than-air flying machine. [Colloq.]

Wiktionary Word definitions in Wiktionary
vb. (en-past of: aviate )